Passage
Psalms 103.12
12. As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (ASV)Book: Psalms · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT
Immediate context (±2 verses)
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ASV
10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins, Nor rewarded us after our iniquities. 11. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is his lovingkindness toward them that fear him.
12. As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
- Like as a father pitieth his children, So Jehovah pitieth them that fear him. 14. For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust. (Psalms 103:10-14, ASV)
WEB
10. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities. 11. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him.
12. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
- Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him. 14. For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust. (Psalms 103:10-14, WEB)
KJV
10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. as: Heb. according to the height of the heaven
12. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
- Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. 14. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. (Psalms 103:10-14, KJV)
YLT
10. Not according to our sins hath He done to us, Nor according to our iniquities Hath He conferred benefits upon us. 11. For, as the height of the heavens [is] above the earth, His kindness hath been mighty over those fearing Him.
12. As the distance of east from west He hath put far from us our transgressions.
- As a father hath mercy on sons, Jehovah hath mercy on those fearing Him. 14. For He hath known our frame, Remembering that we [are] dust. (Psalms 103:10-14, YLT)
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Setting
- Speaker: David, according to the title, "A Psalm of David"
- Audience: His own soul first ("Bless Jehovah, O my soul," 103:1), then the people who fear God, and finally the angels and all God's works (103:20-22)
- Location: Not stated
- Time period: Not stated in the psalm; on the title, the reign of David, about the tenth century BC
Theological reading
"As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us."
The setting in the psalm. Verse 8 quotes the name God proclaimed to Moses: "Jehovah is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness" (compare Exodus 34:6). Verse 10 states the result: "He hath not dealt with us after our sins, Nor rewarded us after our iniquities." Verses 11-13 then give three pictures. The heavens high above the earth measure his lovingkindness. East and west measure how far he removes sin. A father's pity for his children measures his compassion.
The words. "Transgressions" (Strong's H6588) means rebellion, a breach of trust, not simply a mistake. "Removed" (H7368) comes from the same Hebrew root as "as far as" at the start of the verse, so the line reads with a deliberate echo: as far as east from west, so far has he put our rebellions. East and west never meet, so the distance has no end.
Karma and forgiveness. The Hinduism vs the Christian God comparison uses this verse against the background of karma, the principle that actions bear their fruit, often across many lives, until the soul is released. Hindus generally describe karma as moral cause and effect, not as punishment from a person. Hindu devotional traditions also teach divine grace; in the Bhagavad Gita (18:66) Krishna promises to free from all sins the one who takes refuge in him alone. The difference the psalm brings is a God who does not merely let the account run out but removes the debt himself, and does it within one life. See Karma and Reincarnation.
How can he do it? The psalm says that God forgives but not how a just God can do it. The New Testament gives that answer at the cross, where God shows "that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26, ASV). See Romans 3.23-26 and Atonement.
Key words
Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.
- H6588 - pesha, pesha, Strong's H6588
Quoted in
Arguments and defeaters:
Concepts:
Lexicon:
Why these four translations
ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.
The four:
- ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.
See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.